China’s New Do’s and Don’ts for Leaders

China’s new leadership has signaled what could be a significant break from the past in its operating style, calling for an end to the red-carpet treatment lavished on officials in a bid to improve the public image of a party that has been badly tarnished by corruption and abuse of power.

The Communist Party’s powerful Politburo, in only its second meeting since a new group of leaders was chosen earlier this month, unveiled a lengthy list of “do’s and don’ts” for top leaders, saying the objective was to “genuinely win the confidence and support of the people.”

European Press Photo

With the Chinese public increasingly angry over corruption, Xi Jinping is pushing for the Communist Party to adopt a new, humbler operating style.

“The behavior of the leadership, particularly the top leadership, has a big impact on the overall climate for the party and government as well as society at large,” said a statement carried by the official Xinhua News Agency on Tuesday. “What you ask of others – first do yourself. What you tell others not to do, you must absolutely not do.”

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New party chief Xi Jinping chaired the meeting, which seemed to reinforce an image served up at an unusually informal gathering of the Politburo’s Standing Committee – the party’s top seven leaders – just last week. That nationally televised gathering showed the leaders dressed in casual attire, and Mr. Xi speaking in an off-the-cuff manner that conveyed the impression of a more relaxed style compared with the often stiff and formulaic delivery of his predecessor, Hu Jintao.

While it remains to be seen how much of this effort is real and how much muscle is actually applied to breaking the ingrained habits of China’s stodgy ruling party, this was at least a call for action that had some striking departures from the past.

One unusual item in the list of new rules was a reduction in news coverage of the leaders overall and a directive to base stories on news merit rather than routinely reporting all activities of top officials. “When our comrades from the Politburo attend meetings or take part in other activities, we should determine whether or not to cover these activities based on their news value and the effect on society,” the statement said.

European Pressphoto Agency

Rows of black Audi sedans and a white Lexus car for Chinese officials are parked inside the Great Hall of the People during the closing ceremony of the 18th Party Congress in Beijing, November 14, 2012.

The statement called on the leadership to make more fact-finding trips around the country and to focus on the areas where there have been problems. Leaders should also not attend ribbon-cutting ceremonies without permission, avoid red carpet treatment on official visits and ensure that official motorcades pose fewer disruptions of normal traffic, the statement said.

The motorcades, often accompanied by battalions of police who block off intersections and intimidate pedestrians, are a persistent sore spot — particularly in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai where traffic is sclerotic enough without having to make way for trains of black Audis.

The directive called for tighter controls on the size of delegations traveling overseas and instructed leaders not to organize airport receptions by flag-waving Chinese students and businessmen for visits by officials from the motherland.

It ordered officials to avoid publishing their writings – a tidy source of income at times — but it also promised to standardize rules on official housing and other benefits.

Corruption is seen as an increasing threat to the Communist Party’s legitimacy. Former party chief and outgoing president Hu Jintao, speaking at the party’s 18th National Congress last month, singled out the need to take this key issue seriously, saying it could “prove fatal to the party” and might even bring about the fall of the state.

Disgraced political high-flyer Bo Xilai, once seen as a certainty to reach the top rung of the leadership, was ousted from the party just ahead of the congress and he now faces trial for corruption and abuse of power.

The whiff of corruption has also enveloped the family members of other senior leaders and a steady stream of official excesses such as the accumulation of luxury villas, expensive cars, mistresses, and watches has angered ordinary citizens. The seizure of land from farmers for commercial projects and the official backing for at times environmentally hazardous industrial projects has also contributed to a slide in the party’s public standing.

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